2004 Pinot Noir, Sea Smoke Vineyard
Wine Advocate Rating: Rating: 96 points (August 2006)
From: Santa Rita Hills, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California, USA
Drink: 2006-2016:

“From the Santa Rita Hills appellation, the 2004 Pinot Noir Sea Smoke Vineyard’s ruby/purple color as well as its intense, glorious perfume of sweet kirsch, black currants, flowers, and underbrush suggest a wine built for the long haul. Tremendous opulence, richness, and intensity in addition to a dazzling finish with great flavor precision emerge from this riveting Pinot Noir. One of the finest Central Coast Pinots I have ever tasted, it can be consumed over the next decade. As the back label says, this wine was bottled “delicately ... without fining or filtration.” Bravo to proprietors and winemakers Bill Wathen and Dick Dore.”
— Robert Parker

Wine Spectator: 94 Points (August 2006)
"Vibrant blueberry and wild berry flavors are joined by rich toasty oak, making it a near perfect marriage of ripe fruit and wood. Supple, balanced and concentrated, this gains momentum, with a long, refreshing aftertaste. Drink now through 2009."
–Jim Laube

2004 Pinot Noir, Bien Nacido Vineyard Block 8
Wine Advocate Rating: 93 points (August 2006)
From: Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California, USA
Drink: 2006-2013

“Dramatic is the stunning 2004 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard Block Eight. One of the finest Bien Nacido examples I have ever tasted. Offering up notes of licorice, sweet black cherries, herbs, currants, and spice, this full-bodied, powerful yet delicate, intense yet finesse-filled beauty is stunningly rich, layered, and complex. It should drink well for 5-7 years. As the back label says, this wine was bottled “delicately ... without fining or filtration.” Bravo to proprietors and winemakers Bill Wathen and Dick Dore.”
— Robert Parker

Wine Spectator: 92 Points (August 2006)
"Wonderful purity of flavor. Rich raspberry, wild berry, cedar and anise, with hints of tobacco that are dense and concentrated. Finishes with a firm burst of flavor and rich, loamy tannins. Best from 2007 through 2011."
–Jim Laube

2004 Pinot Noir - Julia's Vineyard
Wine Advocate Rating: 92 points (August 2006)
From: Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California, USA
Drink: 2006-2010

“The 2004 Pinot Noir Julia’s Vineyard offers sweet black cherry and currant fruit, a broad, expansive palate, and tremendous opulence as well as length. It is a hedonistic, authentic tasting, full-bodied, velvety-textured Pinot to enjoy over the next 3-4 years. As the back label says, this wine was bottled “delicately ... without fining or filtration.” Bravo to proprietors and winemakers Bill Wathen and Dick Dore.”
— Robert Parker

2004 Syrah - Williamson Doré Vineyard
Wine Advocate Rating: 92 point (August 2006)
From: Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California, USA
Drink: 2006-2016

“The inky/blue/purple-hued 2004 Syrah Williamson Doré Vineyard boasts classic southern France-like notes of roasted herbs, sweet and sour cherries, blackberries, loamy soil, pepper, and incense. It is full-bodied and superbly concentrated, with great intensity, moderately high tannin, and enough glycerin, flavor, and fruit to back up its impressive structure. It should drink well for a decade or more.”
— Robert Parker

2003 Syrah - Williamson Doré Vineyard
Wine Spectator: 92 Points – Spectator Selections – Highly Recommended (March 2006)
Santa Ynez Valley
“Ultrarich, almost syrupy, with dense, plush, smoky currant, blackberry, wild berry and exotic spices and game meat scents. Tightly focused, with a long, deep, rich finish and ripe, supple tannins, ending with a dash of cola. Drink now through 2009.”
–Jim Laube

2004 Cuvee Jeanne Marie - Williamson Doré Vineyard
Wine Advocate Rating: 90 points (August 2006)
From: Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California, USA
Drink: 2006-2012

“The most forward and lush offering here is the 2004 Cuvee Jeanne Marie, a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre. Sweet dark cherries interwoven with notes of white chocolate, earth, and pepper emerge from this full-bodied wine. Exhibiting outstanding purity of fruit as well as sweet tannin and a broad, savory, nicely textured and nuanced mid-palate and finish, this long, authoritative red can be drunk now and over the next 5-6 years.”
— Robert Parker

2003 Cuvée Jeanne Marie
Wine Spectator: 89 Points (March 2006)
“Floral white pepper and bay leave flavors join ripe berry, plum and cola notes in this tightly wound Syrah. It opens up on the finish and, despite its tannic strength, keeps offering mineral, spice and berry flavors. Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Viognier. Drink now through 2009.”
–Jim Laube

2004 Chenin Blanc Old Vines Ernesto Wickenden Vineyard
Wine Advocate Rating: 89 points (December 2006)
From: Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California, USA
Drink: 2006-208:

“I realize these this wine is not from California’s north coast, but it is worthy of inclusion. The 2004 Chenin Blanc Old Vines Ernesto Wickenden Vineyard possesses a spring garden, melon, and honeysuckle-scented nose, pure fruit, no evidence of wood, medium body, and a delicious, dry finish. Enjoy this tasty, personality-filled white over the next 1-2 years.”
— Robert Parker

2003 Tinaquaic Vineyard Syrah, Santa Maria Valley
Wine Spectator: 92 points (March 2006)
“Delivers a tight, rich, vibrant beam of pepper, wild berry, sage, cumin and exotic spices in a sharply focused style. The texture turns smooth and polished, ending with a long, complex aftertaste that keeps repeating the delicious fruit and spice flavors. Drink now through 2009.”
–Jim Laube

These Pinot Noirs Live Up to the Hype
by Robert Parker
Download Full Article PDF

 Thanks to the 2004 movie Sideways, pinot noir has become absurdly popular. Truth be told, most of this wine, whether domestic or imported, is of little interest and often overpriced. The following wineries' pinot noirs, however, display the true glories of this grape. All are from the 2004 vintage in California's Santa Rita Hills, the wine country northwest of Santa Barbara where the film takes place.

Foxen Vineyard Sea Smoke Vineyard
96 points. This pinot noir's ruby/purple color and its intense, glorious perfume of sweet kirsch, black currants, flowers, and underbrush suggest a wine built for the long haul. Tremendous opulence, richness, and intensity in addition to a dazzling finish with great flavor precision result in one of the finest Central Coast pinot noirs I have ever tasted. It can be enjoyed over the next decade. $64

Are We Hip Yet?
by Matt Kramer

  “...So I began to think about what could be—really, what should be—hip for 2006. For example, I was reminded, yet again, of the overlooked goodness, even greatness, of Cabernet Franc when I craked open my last bottle of Foxen winery's Cabernet Franc Tinaquaic Vineyard 1994 from the Santa Maria Valley .

Foxen has just 1 ½ acres of Cabernet Franc planted in its dry-farmed vineyard (a rarity in this universally irrigated area), largely because the demand is so small for the grape. Just 200 cases a year are made. This is a pity because the wine is spectacular; dense, lush, infused with flavors and scents of blackberry, black currant, leather and tobacco and, as the 1994 bottling proves, capable of aging beautifully. “

Winespectator.com, March 10, 2006

Santa Barbara Preview: 2004 and 2005 Futures
Pinot Noir is the hot ticket again when it comes to buying the region's wines
by James Laube

When you consider buying the latest crop of Santa Barbara County wines, think Sea Smoke. This Santa Rita Hills producer of Pinot Noir shone consistently in my most recent tastings, along with Foxen, Babcock and Badge.

For lovers of California Pinot Noir, this is the time of year to give serious thought to buying Santa Barbara futures. The annual sale of this Central Coast region's wines, starting this week, is an excellent buying opportunity, especially for securing some of the best and hardest-to-find bottlings.

Every year, Santa Barbara retailer Wine Cask screens hundreds of local wines and narrows them down to offer as futures. The full catalog is listed at www.winecask.com, and you can either order the wines online or purchase tickets to Wine Cask's public tasting on April 22. (The March 11 sale has sold out.)

This week, I wrapped up two days of blind tastings at Wine Spectator 's Napa office, where I tried 57 wines, most of them barrel samples from the 2004 and 2005 vintages. Because the wines aren't finished yet, I have given them projected ratings—with scores in ranges—based on how they showed now and my expectations of how they will rank when bottled.

If you had to remember just one Pinot Noir name for this year's sale, Sea Smoke would be it. My favorite wine, Foxen's 2004 Pinot Noir from Sea Smoke Vineyard (95–100 points on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale), was simply stunning, offering a broad, rich range of flavors, a supple, caressing texture and great length .(Release: September 2006)